Barcelona told to pay £40m+ to seal swoop for PL ace despite major drop off

Barcelona are reportedly still keen on signing Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez, but they’ve been told to splash out £40m+ on him.

The 26-year-old was an indispensable part of the Foxes’ success in winning the Premier League title last season, but as with many of his teammates he has struggled to match that level this season.

Mahrez has just five Premier League goals along with three assists in 26 outings, but that has seemingly done little to put the Catalan giants off.

According to The Telegraph, the Algerian international is a target for Barca, but after signing a new contract last August with no release clause, Leicester have named their price and will seemingly accept nothing less than £40m.

Having made no secret of his desire to play for Barcelona at some stage in his career, it remains to be seen whether or not Mahrez gets his dream move but ultimately his more immediate focus will be on ensuring Leicester stay in the Premier League and continue their memorable Champions League run.

At the end of the season, it could be decided that he will move on with Leicester in line to make a major profit having signed the attacker for just £450,000 from Le Havre.

From Barca’s perspective, with Luis Enrique stepping down at the end of the season there could be big changes at the club this summer. With a first-choice trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez still at the Nou Camp though, Mahrez would likely have to settle for a back-up role in the more immediate future.